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BACKGROUND: Application of illness-severity scores in Intermediate Care Units (ImCU) shows conflicting results. The aim of the study is to design a severity-of-illness score for patients admitted to an ImCU.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study in a single academic medical centre in Pamplona, Spain. Demographics, past medical history, reasons for admission, physiological parameters at admission and during the first 24 hours of ImCU stay, laboratory variables and survival to hospital discharge were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify variables for mortality prediction.

CONCLUSIONS: ImCUSS, specially designed for intermediate care, is based on easy to obtain variables at admission to ImCU. Additionally, it shows a notable performance in terms of calibration and mortality discrimination.